Roelof Botha Sells 75,000 Shares of Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) Stock

Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRA) Director Roelof Botha sold 75,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $236.12, for a total value of $17,709,000.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,154,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $272,529,231.76. This represents a 6.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Natera Stock Performance

NASDAQ NTRA opened at $237.12 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $191.21 and a 200-day moving average of $170.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.72 billion, a P/E ratio of -103.55 and a beta of 1.75. Natera, Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.38 and a 52 week high of $241.28.

Natera (NASDAQ:NTRA) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The medical research company reported ($0.64) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.39) by ($0.25). The firm had revenue of $592.18 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $514.55 million. Natera had a negative net margin of 14.61% and a negative return on equity of 25.07%. The company’s revenue was up 34.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.26) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Natera, Inc. will post -1.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Natera

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Natera during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Horizon Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Natera in the third quarter worth about $32,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Natera by 114.8% during the first quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 232 shares of the medical research company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Natera by 83.5% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 233 shares of the medical research company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank bought a new position in shares of Natera during the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

NTRA has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Natera in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Natera from $240.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Canaccord Genuity Group upped their target price on shares of Natera from $200.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 7th. UBS Group increased their price target on Natera from $218.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Natera from $210.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Fifteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $220.88.

About Natera

Natera, Inc, a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. Its products include Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus, as well as in twin pregnancies; Horizon carrier screening test for individuals and couples determine if they are carriers of genetic variations that cause certain genetic conditions; Vistara single-gene NIPT screens for 25 single-gene disorders that cause severe skeletal, cardiac, and neurological conditions; Spectrum, preimplantation genetic tests for couples undergoing IVF; Anora that analyzes miscarriage tissue from women; Empower, a hereditary cancer screening test; and non-invasive prenatal paternity product, which allows a couple to establish paternity without waiting for the child to be born.